IEEE Electrification Magazine - September 2015 - 20

properly size the storage needs
based on the application.
Forecast for 6725 at Zip Code 66981
Figure 11 shows the recommended sizing for a battery storage system
10 k
Present
in the U.S. market, according to yearly household consumption. In addi7.5 k
tion, examples of future and present
5k
battery storage products for the U.S.
market, such as the Powerwall from
Tesla and the Eco series from Son2.5 k
nenbatterie, are shown.
0k
The expectations from the market
2 May
3 May
4 May
5 May
6 May
7 May
are that these systems (beyond cost)
Real Consumption/h
Real Production
Real Charge/h
have the capability to help the homeProduction Forecast/h
Consumption Forecast/h
Real Charge/h (Top)
owner make the right decisions to
leverage all aspects of their electrical
energy system and maximize the use
Figure 10. The interaction between the battery storage system and the weather forecast.
of the storage piece for the desired
application. In other words, the systems must be smart enough not only to understand and
manage all inputs and outputs but also to leverage big data
and other cloud resources to properly optimize themselves.
In the commercial space, there is a clear need to leverage
energy storage for peak shaving applications. Major utility
companies extend a peak demand charge that can be a significant percentage of your power bill. This can easily be
12 kWh
mitigated by having a properly sized storage system that
8 kWh
understands the customer's consumption habits and can
6 kWh
forecast accordingly to anticipate the sudden demand that
drives these charges up.
Other applications are further amplifying the value of
storage. For example, storing solar energy to power electric
vehicles is attractive when compared to the cost of fuel,
which could be more significant in places like the southFigure 11. The recommended sizing of battery storage systems for
residential purposes and examples of U.S. battery storage products.
eastern United States, where the cost of electricity is generally on the lower side. There is also the possibility of making
an appeal to reduce energy consumption from the grid
distributed storage accessible to the utilities to leverage furby incorporating stable solar and wind production, espether grid stability and enhance their ability to have virtual
cially in locations where utilities are applying demand
distributed plants.
charges or net metering does not longer apply. FurtherThere may be other applications on the horizon as the
more, as trends to overdimension PV plants (mimicking
technology settles and the markets develop. We are at a
what we have seen in Germany) increase in the United
point where the right conditions are in place. It is the right
States, there is a stronger opportunity to incorporate
time for energy storage.
energy-storage systems to capture the margin of overFor Further Reading
produced power.
"Renewable electricity generation capacity by energy source,
All of these efforts have relied on the continuing reducincluding end-use capacity, 2012-40: Projections: AEO2014
tion in price of battery technology. The contemplation of
National Energy Modeling System, run REF2014.D102413A,"
adding more complexity to a system to reduce waste and
U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2014.
increase stability has only been relevant because of the
M. Yoshio, R. J. Brodd, and A. Kozawa, Lithium-Ion Batteries.
evolution of the technology at the right cost. It is now posNew York: Springer, 2009.
sible to offer reliable and safe storage solutions that make
M. Wkihara and O. Yamamoto, Lithium Ion Batteries Funsense. The market is expecting systems that last 20 years
damentals and Performance. Japan: Kodnasha and Wiley-VCH,
from companies that can offer adequate support and war1998.
ranty coverage. Having the right price point can be further
G. Pistoia, Lithium-Ion Batteries Advances and Applications, 1st
optimized by having a system that is properly tailored to
ed. Poland: Elsevier, 2014.
the customer's need; thus, we must have the right tools to

I E E E E l e c t r i f i cati o n M agaz ine / SEPTEMBER 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Electrification Magazine - September 2015